Tell Her No Lies, (Paperback)

** “To trust would be such a relief. To let someone else carry the load she'd carried all these years … ‘God? God! How can I trust You when every father I've had has left me, deceived me, walked away from me, lied to me? You say You will always be there fore me. Where are You now?' ” ** Kelly Irvin delivers an incredible romantic suspense novel with “Tell Her No Lies.” Photographer Nina Fischer uses her camera as a buffer, protecting her from a world she just can't trust. Given up by her mother and adopted by her aunt and uncle as a child, she has major trust issues. When Nina stumbles upon her adoptive father's dead body, she quickly finds herself in a situation spiraling out of control, followed by several more deaths. And what makes it harder is trying to determine which man in her life to turn to — childhood friend Rick who understands her past but is too concerned with overcoming his own past to succeed in life, or fellow friend and news photographer Aaron, a man Nina is afraid she could lose their deep friendship if they pursue a budding romance. As Nina and Aaron work together to figure out the truth behind her father's death — is it related to the fact he was a judge, or is there more to his life than meets the eye? — Nina must overcome her inability to trust and accept help. “Tell Her No Lies” is a fast-paced thriller filled with twists and turns to keep the reader guessing — including a shocking ending! But Irvin does a great job of also including just enough romance and light moments to keep the romantics at heart happy. The author also does a great job of creating very real and relatable characters. Nina and her sister Jan (now a military sniper with a husband and daughter) grew up being rescued by her aunt and uncle after being abandoned by their drug-addicted mother and sent into the foster system. Nina has a very difficult time trusting anyone, including an Abba Father God. Besides being an amazing romance thriller, “Tell Her No Lies” also includes many incredible themes — abandonment; reconciliation; the fact that we can trust God because He is good and has a plan (see Romans 8:28 and Jeremiah 29:11); we are all flawed; good times are relative based on your circumstances; we must hang on to the good memories in life; forgiveness lifts a huge burden; and helping others with compassion and understanding (“God allows us to go through the fire because it equips us with the tools we need to help others. With compassion and empathy”). This story also really brings the concepts of addiction, foster care and homelessness to the forefront. Nina works closely with Haven for Hope in San Antonio, which is an actual place. Check it out if you're interested in getting involved. One disclaimer: this book does feature alcohol use and drug references. Five stars out of five. Thomas Nelson provided this complimentary copy for my honest, unbiased review.